The Wedding
by Quill of Minerva
Summary: Can John decide between following his heart or keeping his word? GLHGV
1. Straight Talk

**Disclaimer:** The characters sadly do not belong to me but if they did, this would be what would happen and all unanswered questions - would be answered.

**A/N:** This takes place a few months after the final episode of the final season of JLU. I haven't seen it yet so I am merely going on what I have heard from others. Each chapter will be told from a different point of view.

Many thanks to my wonderful beta MtGat from Live Journal. She is just fab.

**Summary**: Can John decide between following his heart or keeping his word? GL/HG/V

**The Wedding.**

**Chapter One – Straight Talk.**

Wally stood back and looked at his long time friend as he fussed in front of the mirror. He never thought he would see the day when the Green Lantern would be concerned about his appearance. If someone had mentioned this to him months ago, he wouldn't have believed them but then, he hadn't known about this day.

"How will I do?" John's voice broke into his thoughts, pushing his inner turmoil to the side.

Wally shrugged his shoulders. He found himself in a difficult position and for once, he wasn't relishing it. He had to choose between two friends, pleasing one and hurting the other. Though the hurt party had told him she wasn't offended and, given earlier circumstances, it was the right decision to be here with John, Wally knew that his decision had hurt her. That was something that he had never wished to do but he'd had to make a choice.

"Rather good, GL," he finally replied, making his voice sound happier than he felt.

Wally knew that John wasn't a fool and would see through his seemingly happy smile and good mood, but he had to try and fool him, give it his best shot because he truly didn't want to cause heartache on a day such as this. Wally watched as John regarded him closely, his right eyebrow raised. Wally knew that he had been caught out and John was probably thinking it had been a bad idea to ask him to his best man. Neither of them could deny the inner conflict it had caused in at least three people but Mari had been adamant and no one really wanted to argue with her.

Wally felt around in his pocket making sure he still had the rings; he was relieved he hadn't forgotten them. He had discovered that being the best man involved much more than arranging the bachelor party. His worst task as best man had been breaking the news to Shayera.

Wally had been dreading this conversation for days. He had lost count of how many times he had practiced it in front of his mirror. But finally, his shift was coinciding with Shayera's, and if he didn't tell her himself, she'd be hurt even more when she found out.

"_So, here's the thing" he said, as soon as he found himself alone with her._

"_What is it?" Shayera said looking at him. There was a hint of amusement in her voice._

"_Um. Johnaskedmetobehisbestman," he told her in a rush, refusing to look at her as he did._

_He dared a quick peek and saw her shoulders slump and a hurt expression grace her features. Then she tried to hide it by quickly straightening up and smiling at him. He watched her as she reached for her mace. He was prepared to make a run for it. Instead of hitting him, she merely played with the handle._

"_Oh! Congratulations," she said. "That is quite an honour."_

"_Shayera," he began "I won't do it if…."_

"_I am fine," she said, cutting him off before he could continue. "I need to go and do some maintenance right now."_

_Wally watched her walk away from him. He knew that she was hurt and that she was hiding it so he wouldn't feel guilty. He did feel guilty though._

Since that day, Shayera had remained at a distance from all of them, eating alone in her room, not socializing at all.. Wally hadn't shared a shift with her for weeks; they were usually paired up together at least twice a week. Wally had mentioned it to J'onn who'd simply told him that she had swapped shifts and not to press it.

"You're thinking about her," John said, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had filled the room.

"Aren't you?" replied Wally as he brushed a non-existent piece of fluff off his suit.

"No!" lied John "Not today. This is Mari's day."

Wally looked up, his eyes widening as they focused on the man before him. How could he stand there and say that? Was he so far detached from his feelings that he didn't know what he was saying? Wally shook his head in frustration and spat the gum he had been chewing into a nearby bin before speaking.

"It's meant to be your day as well, GL," he said. "You know that, right?"

Wally watched as John turned away from him and made his way back to the full-length mirror where he straightened his tie and closed his eyes. Wally watched with hope. He wanted to get John to think, to make sure he was doing the right thing. Surely John would have known that asking him to his best man would raise questions and that they would be the questions that he needed to be prepared to answer. If John had wanted the strong and silent type, he should have asked Batman.

Wally knew what he was taking about. There weren't many incidents that he could calm that but this was one of them. He wasn't always the serious one, he didn't always come up with the plans but he was a people watcher. He knew people. He had been with Mari as she planned the wedding to end all weddings. It was elaborate, colourful and everything John was not. Nothing about John and Mari's wedding screamed John Stewart.

"Buddy," said Wally as he darted towards John and stood in front of the mirror, preventing his view. "You sure about this?"

"Wally," replied John with a groan as he pushed him out the way "I am not discussing this and besides, there is nothing to discuss. Why can't you just accept that?"

"Because I am your friend, GL," Wally pointed out matter-of-factly. "And friends watch out for one another, you know that. So don't be giving me all this, there is nothing to discuss' stuff because there is."

"Friends accept their friends' choices," growled John as he walked away.

"Not when they both know," said Wally as he sped in front of him, "that he is making the wrong choice."

Wally knew from they way John had looked at him that he was hitting close to the bone and the fact that he had walked away meant that Wally was getting John to think. Wally watched as John tried to regain his composure and remain cool, calm and collected but he wasn't succeeding.

"Is she coming?" he asked, so softly that he almost whispered it.

"No," answered Wally. "She volunteered for watch."

He had tried to convince her to come. He'd hoped that her being there would make John see sense, but she had refused and then threatened him with her mace when he kept pushing. He smiled to himself when he thought about that mace. So many times Shayera had threatened to make him the fastest man alive with a limp but still he liked to push her. It was his job, rub people the wrong way and try to get them to see what was in front of them, but he also knew that ultimately, he had to trust his friends' ability to make their own decisions.

"Good," said John, nodding his head. "It's for the best."

"Bud," said Wally as he placed his hands on John's shoulders. "Come on!"

Wally felt John's hand come in contact with his shoulder and he stepped back, John brushed past him and growled. Wally knew that if John wanted to, he could have him up against the wall and knock the stuffing out of him before he even knew it, so he decided to use another tactic.

"What?" growled John, in annoyance.

"Fine," snapped Wally in reply. "I'm shutting up."

With that, Wally walked from the room and shut the door without looking back. He had said what he had wanted to say for months and it was now up to John. Wally only hoped that he would make the right decision and not be stubborn but whatever decision John made, he would be best man because he had made a promise.

**To Be Continued...**


	2. Stirring Thoughts

**A/n:** Many thanks to my wonderful beta MtGat. Without her this story would have been a mess.

**Chapter Two – Stirring Thoughts**

John didn't even flinch when the door banged shut behind Wally, though a mirror on the wall shook. John closed his eyes and took a deep breath; this wasn't how he thought he would spend his wedding morning. He knew when he had asked Wally to be his best man, that it would be hard for Wally because he was friends with both him and Shayera. He had asked Wally because he was the closest member of the Justice League to him besides, Vixen, Metamorpho and Shayera. John had known that Wally'd spoken to Shayera because she was there one day sharing shifts with him and then she was changing them. She was also doing the same with her and Wally's shifts which had hurt their red-clad friend. It was her way of dealing with things.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror and rammed his fists against the cool glass in frustration. He wasn't meant to be thinking about Shayera. He was supposed to be concentrating on his vows, the promises he was about to make to Mari, the woman he was marrying in two hours' time.

Damn Wally! Damn his questions! Damn him for raising thoughts and hopes that John had tried to sweep under the rug and forget about.

John felt his collar tighten around his neck; he knew he should have gotten a bigger size collar. He undid his top button and loosened his tie. He sighed as he felt less restricted but his problem still remained.

Why did Wally have to push? Why couldn't he just let sleeping dogs lie?

Had John asked Wally to be his best man because he knew that his friend would push him to think about what he was doing? He could have asked Batman. Bruce would have remained silent and brooded while letting John get on with things but in the end, John had decided on Wally and look where it had gotten him.

Mari was a wonderful woman. She was beautiful, clever, and she made him smile. She was an international pin-up girl, and men dreamt about her while they slept. John had seen the hungry looks she received whenever she walked into the room and he knew that many men would give their right arms to be in the position he was in now. He was a lucky man and he knew it, but his heart didn't skip a beat when he was with her.

He had made her a promise and he wasn't about to go back on it. He was a man of his word, or always tried to be. He was known in the Justice League for doing what was right and marrying Mari was the right thing to do. He did love her. It wasn't the consuming type of love but there was something there. Admittingly, it wasn't the love he had felt for Shayera but that had been destroyed when she had turned on him. He couldn't trust her again. Oh, he could trust her to watch his back in a fight but he couldn't trust her with his heart now.

John walked over to where he had put his green ring down earlier that day. Picking it up and slipping on his finger almost made him forget the situation. When he wore the ring he was in control, it steadied him but without it, he sometimes felt that he was nothing. Making his way over to the window, he looked out and concentrated on the tree in front of him. Lifting his hand and pointing the ring, a green jet of light shot from his hand and rocketed towards a heavy looking branch. The green light enveloped the branch and John was able to crumble it into sawdust. The destuction didn't help the frustration he was feeling inside.

He knew where he was with Mari; she wouldn't hurt his heart like Shayera had. In some respects, Mari was the safe way to live. There wouldn't be the arguments like he'd had with Shayera and there wouldn't be the mind-blowing making up love that they'd had either, but Mari offered a quiet life, a contented life. She loved him, she didn't try to wind him up, she would agree with him on most things, and she was patient. She had put up with a lot when she entered a relationship with him and he had to make it worthwhile for her. He wouldn't turn his back on a friend.

"A friend?" he thought out loud. Was that how he saw Mari, just as a friend? He was so damn confused and he didn't have a clue who to confide in now. If he turned to Wally, he would say 'told you so,' if he went to Batman, he would be told to 'deal with it' and Diana would tell him to follow his heart. Following his heart would be suicidal because his mind was in agreement with it and that was just asking for trouble. There were others he could turn to, but no one knew him like Shayera did and he couldn't turn to her.

When Wally had told him that she wasn't coming to the wedding, sadness had enveloped him. He hadn't expected her to come but he had secretly hoped that she would. Perhaps, he wanted her to come to him and tell him he wasn't doing the right thing and they should give it another chance. He wanted to know that she cared, that she wanted him and that she wanted a future with him. Over the years she had been back, she had said things to him, suggested they give it another go but he had always returned to Mari because he heart was still bruised. Was he fighting his true destiny because he was afraid? Was he just too stubborn for his own good? Would he lose his son if he married Mari or would he lose him if he didn't? John wasn't sure if he was meant to marry Mari before settling down with Shayera or if Mari was ever a consideration in fate's path. This was all too much to be thinking about on his wedding day and the hour of his wedding vows was creeping closer and he was in turmoil. Wally had a lot to answer for and when he finally returned, he would know exactly what trouble he had caused.

Shayera would look breathtakingly beautiful dressed in a white bridal dress, her red hair flowing down her back in ringlets and with her wings, she would look like an angel. He closed his eyes and imagined her green eyes sparkling as he approached her and her smile would brighten up his mood.

John shook his head and cursed himself for letting his mind wander. He shouldn't be letting this happen, he needed to stay in control. Mari would look stunning; she always did and so there was no doubt that she would on her wedding day. He would say his vows and then she would repeat them and then they would be announced as Mr and Mrs John Stewart. His old life would be over and a new one about to start. He would be a fool to throw that away. Things would work out and they would be happy and contented. There might even be children and that would bring them joy. Maybe the future he had been privy was to not the future he was ever meant to have. It could have just been a possible future, one of many. Even if it weren't his future, it would remain with him till he died because it had seemed real and he would blame himself for killing his own son because he married someone else. John clenched and then unclenched his hands, trying to relieve some of the burden he was carrying.

John looked around the room and his eyes fell upon the wedding menu that was laid out on the chest of drawers. Mari had decided on the menu. He'd had no say in it at all. They would have a choice of chicken, duck, guinea fowl or quail for their main course. It had became apparent as he as he flipped through the courses that bird was in every course until the desserts and he couldn't help but think that she was making a point. Mari and Shayera had got on for the Leagues' sake, they worked out together and teased one another even but there was always some underlying tension.

Just as he was about to slip into his musings again, the door opened and Wally reappeared with a nervous smile.

"Hey, GL," he said as though nothing had happened. "You okay?"

"Ready as I'll ever be!" John replied.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	3. If I start now…I won’t be able to stop

**Chapter Three – If I start now…..I won't be able to stop..**

Shayera Hol sat at the Ops desk looking out into space. She was the only League member manning the Watchtower while the others were down on Earth preparing for John and Mari's wedding. One hand was on the desk and the other was fiddling with the handle of her mace. She had received an invitation to the wedding, cream with gold edging and lettering. She had accepted the card with dignity and ignored the gleam of satisfaction in Mari's eye when she told her that she could bring a friend to the wedding. Though she and Mari got on, there had always been a competition going on between them. It seemed to Shayera that at the end of the day, the better woman had won. Shayera had wanted to fight for what she wanted; she would have done before her people had invaded Earth. She had changed since then. She was still impulsive, stubborn and a force to be reckoned with when she was fighting but she understood humans and their feelings more.

She hadn't fought. She'd given in. And not ten minutes after Mari had handed her the final bomb in their quiet battle, Shayera had run right into the victor's spoils.

Shayera walked out of the meeting room, clutching the invitation to John and Mari's wedding in her left hand. She was glad to be out of there, glad to be away from the looks she had been receiving. She hadn't felt quite so uncomfortable since the day she had returned to the League after months away. She was about to head for her quarters when John appeared and there was no way of avoiding him.

"Shayera," he called. She saw his eyes dip down to the card in her hand.

"Hi," she replied "Just got back from Batman's?"

"Yeah," he answered. He was still looking at what she held. "There was a riot at the medical institute so we dropped by and lent a hand."

Shayera smiled and nodded. Her hand was beginning to feel rather heavy under his stare. She wanted him to look somewhere so she could dispose of the invitation without drawing more attention to it.

"Um." John said briskly "I have to be somewhere. I have to see J'onn."

"Okay," she replied. "See you around."

Shayera had never been so happy to see him walk away from her than she was right now.

As soon as SHE had reached her room, she crumpled the invitation up in her hand and flung it into the trashcan. She was glad to see it in the trash, it was out of the way for now.

That had been the first blow; the second and final blow had been Wally telling her he was going to be John's best man. When Wally had told her she had brushed if off and congratulated him. She knew she couldn't ask Wally not to be John's best man and she wouldn't have done, even if she could have. She had clutched onto her mace to help her keep control. The power had flowed through her fingers and had given her the strength not to react violently. Wally was a friend to both of them and it was wrong to make him choose between them but since he had told, she had been avoiding him as she had John. She couldn't trust herself around them. She was clinging on to the edge of reasonable behaviour by her nails and couldn't afford to slip. To help her work through her feelings, she had taken to flying during the night. She would push herself to the limits. She would return feeling refreshed and exhilarated but the pain was still there.

She looked up at the digital clock and saw that in an hour's time, Mari would become Mrs John Stewart. Shayera found herself wondering what John would be wearing. She had always liked him in black and green but from what Mari had been saying, he wouldn't be wearing anything green at her wedding. Shayera had wanted to say that surely it was up to John what he would be wearing but she had relented. It wasn't her job to say anything. Shayera had been told that Mari was wearing a gold fitted wedding dress that was off the shoulder and hugged all her curves and was to have gold flowers intertwined with her dark hair. Shayera had always thought that brides were meant to wear white. She didn't know much about the wedding customs of humans despite living with them for years. She had assumed that they all wore white dresses because she had flicked through the magazines that Mari had left purposely around the Watchtower; all the women were wearing white. If it had been Shayera's wedding day, she would have followed her own Thanagarian customs. She would marry in the nude.

Shayera rammed her fists into the desk with frustration and watched as the lights flickered back at her. She had no right to be feeling how she was feeling. She gave up that right many years ago when she betrayed the Justice League. John had not been the first man she had loved. She had been engaged to Hro. She had loved him but when she met John, it changed. She had come to Earth thinking that she would be helping the planet. She believed the data she was collecting for her people would help defend the Earth against the Gordanians. She had been sickened to learn what Hro was planning and she had turned against her own people.

She wondered if things had been different, would it be her wedding day today? John didn't want her anymore. She had given him ample opportunity but he always went back to Mari and now he was marrying her. She had always thought Mari was the rebound girl and that one day John would come back but it didn't look like that now and Shayera was angry with herself for living in hope. What right did she have anyway to cling to that hope? When John had told her about their son, her hope had been justified and she knew there was a future. Now she couldn't help but think that in John marrying Mari, he was trying to wipe out their future son and that angered her. How could he do that? Did Rex mean nothing to him? Maybe Rex was never really meant to be but without giving them a try, John was destroying any hope of his ever being.

Shayera was beginning to think it had been a bad idea saying that she would stand watch at the Watchtower. She could've spent today roaming the skies, burning off all her restless energy instead of being confined to a room. She was beginning to understand how a caged bird felt, bored and restless.

Shayera had lost count of the times, she had stumbled across Mari discussing wedding plans.

_Shayera wanted to walk straight back out of the recreation room as she soon as she discovered who sat in there and what she was doing. But as she turned to walk out, a voice had called to her._

"_Shayera," said Mari "I need to ask an opinion."_

"_You're asking me?" Shayera asked as she turned around._

"_Well, you are opinionated," came the reply "so you seem like the right person to ask."_

_Shayera smiled and made her way over to where Mari was. The orange-clad woman sat amongst piles of screwed up bits of paper, bridal magazines and price quotes._

"_What do you need my highly opinionated services for?" inquired Shayera, as she cleared a space on the couch for her to sit down._

"_Finally decided on the menu and wanted someone to look over it," Mari said, thrusting a page into Shayera's hands._

_Shayera could feel Mari's eyes on her as she looked through the menu. __Chicken Breast with Olives Niçoises__Quails with Guinettes__Guinea Fowl with Wild Mushrooms__Duck Fricassée with White Beans_

"_You have quite a selection of birds," said Shayera. "Not everyone likes to eat them."_

"_Oh," replied Mari "I didn't think of that. It's too late to change it and I am sure no one will complain."_

_Shayera didn't feel comfortable about eating birds and she knew she wasn't alone. She couldn't help but wonder if Mari was trying to make some kind of point. Maybe asking her not to attend the wedding without actually putting it into words.._

"_It's your wedding," Shayera finally answered._

"_Yes it is," agreed Mari.._

There had been so many times she had nearly gone to John and begged him not to go through with it but every time she reached where he was, she couldn't do it. Her words failed her and she would walk away without talking to him. Each time she walked away, her heart shattered a little more and if she was honest, she didn't think her heart could take any more. On her planet, she was a warrior, cold-hearted because the job had demanded that of her but here on Earth, things were different. She was surrounded by humans who felt as well as fought. Tears were threatening to fall and she couldn't allow that because if she started now, she wouldn't be able to stop.

"It will do you some good," came a voice from behind her

Shayera turned and saw that J'onn was standing in the doorway; he was the last person she wanted to see besides Mari and John.

"You still here?" she asked. "You had better get going or you will be late!"

"I came to see if you were okay," he continued, ignoring her question.

"As you can see I am fine." she bit back "You're wasting time. Just go!"

"Shayera!" he began.

"Just go!" she demanded.

She heard J'onn slip away and was thankful that she had been left to her musings again; the pain was more bearable when she could block people out and she didn't need J'onn probing her. She was annoyed at herself for letting emotions get the better of her. She wasn't about to let them rule her. She was grateful that he came to see if she was okay, it meant something but she wasn't in need of him because this was her fault.

She straightened her back. Her wings felt heavy today and normally she wouldn't even be aware of them because they were part of her. Now they felt foreign to her, like they didn't belong and part of her blamed them for her current situation. Maybe, she had been right all along, she and John were just too different to work. She had to let him go and she had to let go herself. Shayera wanted John to be happy and with Mari he was. Maybe her presence at the Watchtower was making him uncomfortable and she was preventing him from moving on. It was there and then that Shayera decided that she would hand in her resignation when the wedding party returned. She had to give John a chance at happiness.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	4. It's My Day

**A/n: **Many thanks to everyone that has taken the time to read and review this story. I am over the moon that you seem to be enjoying it.

Many thanks to my wonderful beta Mtgat.

On with the chapter...

**Chapter Four – It's my day.**

Mari stood in front of the mirror running her hands down her gold silk dress and admiring herself. Even she had to admit that she looked good and she was bound to take John's breath away. After a mad few weeks of planning, her wedding was finally here. In an hour's time she was marrying John Stewart and they would be jetting off to Paris for their honeymoon.

As she looked into the mirror, she sighed sadly. When she had been younger she had always imagined a grand wedding where she was surrounded by family and friends and her father would not be there at all. Today she would be surrounded by her friends but not her family and her father would not be walking her own the aisle. Their deaths had left an empty void in her for many years; she still ached to be with them and there was nothing she wanted more than to have them sit on the wooden benches in the church, watching her. She wouldn't be taking John's surname; she wanted to honour her family's memory by keeping her surname. She hadn't been surprised when he had agreed to her keeping her maiden name. He hadn't even fussed.

Mari was honest with herself; she would freely admit that she had never thought that she and John would get this far. She had always known she had been the rebound girl. She had accepted it and continued living her own life, jetting off to photo shoots and taking to the catwalks when she was offered the jobs. She wasn't going to pine away for him while he figured himself out; she thrust herself into her modelling work and her League work. But when they were together she made sure he wouldn't even think about straying when she was away. Shayera's presence in their life had worried her at first. The winged beauty had made it clear that she was interested in John but nothing had come of it. There had been many chances for Shayera to make her play for John but they had not been taken.

_Mari walked into the canteen of the Watchtower and saw Shayera sitting at a table on her own. She could make out Shayera picking at her food with disinterest and made her way over to join her._

_"Hey," said Mari. "This seat taken?"_

_"Knock yourself out," replied Shayera, without even looking up. "There is hardy a line for the seat."_

_"Maybe if you smiled a bit more," said Mari, as she sat down. "Having said that, I have seen your attempt at a smile and I am not sure it would help matters."_

_Mari watched as Shayera looked up at her and shot her a small but real smile. Other League members could not fathom how they got on because it always seemed that they were snipping at one another. What they didn't know was that it brought amusement to the two women, they took the snipes and jests on the chin because they weren't meant to hurt. _

_"So why are you crowding my space?" _

_"Just thought I would let you know that I'm out of town for the next week," replied Mari. "You can take a crack at John."_

_"Just might do that," said Shayera with a determined glint in her eye._

_"You sure you could handle the rejection?" _

_"I guess we'll just have to see," said Shayera as she rose from her seat. "Worried?"_

_"Me?" said Mari with a look of surprise. "Never! See you around."_

Mari made her way over to the dressing table and picked up the delicate white gold chain that had once belonged to her mother. A small pear-shaped opal hung for the centre, complimenting the chain perfectly. Mari had always admired the necklace and as her mother lay dying, she took the necklace off and placed it in Mari's hand. Her mother had whispered for Mari to wear it on her wedding day and never to take it off throughout the marriage.

Mari lifted the chain around her neck and fixed the clasp. She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed as she fiddled with the chain.

She couldn't help but wonder what her mother would have made of John. Would she have liked him or said that he wasn't good enough for her daughter? Mari was sure that her mother would have been won over by John's eyes and his occasional smile. Mari knew that her father wouldn't be impressed with John. He would say that John didn't treat her right and that she was better off without him. Mari never listened to what her father said and she wasn't about to start now.

The door opened and Diana appeared wearing a plain cream off the shoulder dress. She was carrying a bouquet of flowers and a small box. Mari had asked the Amazon to be her bridesmaid at the last moment because her original bridesmaid had abandoned the role for a photo shoot in Milan. Mari hadn't been surprised when she had received the phone call last night from Scarlet who had been very apologetic when she explained the job and that it wasn't a chance to be missed. Mari would have done the same if she had been a bridesmaid. In the fashion world, she had to grab jobs while she could because sooner rather than later, the jobs would dry up. Diana had been in the corridor after Mari had received the call and that had made the Amazon her first choice as substitute bridesmaid. Mari had been surprised by Diana's reaction to being asked, anyone would have thought it was some great honour to be asked when it reality, there was no one else to ask. Mari couldn't exactly ask Shayera to do it; that wouldn't go down well at all.

"I have brought you something blue," said Diana as she handed Mari the small box.

"Thanks." Mari replied as she took the box from Diana and opened it.

Inside the velvet box Mari found a royal blue garter with a blue ribbon. It wouldn't go with her dress and Mari found it a bit trashy but she wouldn't tell the princess that.

"I hadn't even thought about one of these," commented Mari as she walked away and slipped into the powder room to slide the garter on under her dress.

"It is a good job that I am your bridesmaid then." Diana replied.

Mari reappeared from the bathroom and picked up her bouquet of flowers from the dressing table. She looked at herself in the mirror once more and made sure she looked perfect.

"It's time!" she told Diana as she strode past the Amazon and opened the door. "I am getting married."

Mari swept out of the room purposely. As she walked down the stairs, she couldn't shake off the sound of her father's voice.

To be continued...


	5. The Ceremony

**Chapter Five – The Ceremony.**

John glanced at Wally and tapped his watch nervously, Mari hadn't arrived yet and she should have.

"Maybe she knows you better than you know yourself," Wally whispered.

"Give it a rest!" John growled in reply.

John watched with growing frustration as Wally placed his hands up in the air in mock defeat and then grinned brightly. John didn't see any humour in the situation. His bride to be was late and his thoughts were all over the place. Before he could give it another thought, the prelude started and then the big, heavy church doors swung open. In walked Diana who was closely followed by Mari. His eyes widened as she walked towards him, she did look stunning dressed in gold. He felt Wally touch his shoulder and he nodded.

"This is it, big man," he heard Wally mutter.

Wally was right, this was it and he shouldn't have let it get this far. It was wrong but he couldn't turn back now because Mari was here and he couldn't walk out now. If he walked out in front of all these people, he would be hurting her. It would be bad enough cancelling the wedding privately but publicly would be devastating. Why hadn't he listened to Wally while he still had the chance?

"Buddy," hissed Wally who had apparently felt him tense up.

John shook his friend off and planted a smile on his face. He had to try and look the part, for Mari's sake. He smiled brightly as she approached him; she was walking gracefully down the aisle carrying a bouquet of white lilies and roses. He had to admit that she was breathtakingly stunning dressed in the gold silk dress that looked like it had had to be painted on because it fitted so snugly. She was soon by his side and he felt her take his hand.

"Hello," he greeted

"Hello yourself," was her answer as she smiled up at him.

A typical Mari answer. He had to smile at that. John could feel Wally's eyes boring into the back of his head and it was making him uneasy. He looked around at Wally and arched an eyebrow at him. He hoped the look in his eyes would let Wally know, not to stir anything now.

The minister's voice broke into his thoughts, Wally and Diana went to sit down and all eyes were upon John and Mari. John was regaining his composure. He was going to do this and he was going to make Mari happy. He was unaware that Mari was looking at him closely. He could feel eyes on him but he presumed that it was his wedding guests.

"We are gathered here today," spoke the minister "to join in this happy occasion where John and Mari will declare their love before us and God. They will make a lifelong commitment to one another."

John looked at Mari and smiled. She was looking at him intently and he put it down to the fact that she wanted to keep focused and feel the words the minister was saying. Mari had written the vows herself; he had cast an eye over them briefly and had agreed to them. He had felt they were very apt for them and he had told her that. She had beamed brightly at him before kissing him on the cheek.

"No!" came Mari's voice from out of nowhere.

A collective gasp sounded around the room, shocked faces looked towards the front of the church. John looked at Mari with surprise. Had he just heard right? She was looking at him and shaking her head, he could see tears gleaming in her eyes and he didn't understand.

"John," he heard her whisper "We need to talk but not here!"

John felt her take his hand and lead him out of the church, away from prying eyes and into a small cloakroom off the main lobby. For the first time in a long time, he couldn't read her. He didn't know what she was thinking and her eyes gave away nothing. She was like a stranger to him.

"Mari?" he asked, "What is going on?"

"Do you love me?"

"Yes."

"Are you in love with me?"

John was taken aback by that question. He knew the shock was written all over his face. His mouth dried up and he found that he couldn't answer her. He was aware of the hurt look in her eyes but he couldn't take that hurt away.

"John," she almost begged, "are you in love with me?"

He shook his head; he had to be honest with her.

"I am sorry, Mari," he told her. The words were just words as they left his mouth. They were empty words compared to the hurt and pain Mari was suffering; they brought no comfort to her and none to him.

"Sorry," he heard her choke "Why didn't you tell me?"

John reached out to touch her but she stepped back and glared at him. He knew she didn't want him to touch her, to try and smooth things over. She was actually rather calm and collected for a woman who had just had the rug pulled from under her feet. He had expected her to lash out at him; it was what he deserved for making this go for as long as it had done.

"Just don't, John," Mari asked him. "Just go to her and don't say anything."

"What?" he asked.

"You are in love with her," she told him "I have always known and I thought I could deal with it especially since you always come back to me. But it isn't enough and hearing the minister say those things made me realise it. We would both be unhappy, John, maybe not at first but within time, we would. I am worth more than second best and we both deserve to be happy. I can save face for calling the wedding off. It was my decision and people will know that."

"Mari," he said, "I care deeply for you and I never meant for any of this. I never wanted to cause you pain. Believe me."

"I believe you," she replied. "Now go to her and make things work, and not just for your sake but for mine as well. I want to know I am doing the right thing so don't mess it up. I loved you, John Stewart, but that is not enough for you. It was time that I realised that before it was too late."

John watched as Mari stepped forward and cupped his cheek in her hand. He felt her fingers brush against his cheekbone and he looked into her eyes. He closed his eyes as he felt her lean forward, gentle pressure was applied against his lips and then it was gone and when he opened his eyes again, Mari was gone.

The whole situation felt so surreal to him. He felt like he had been watching the scene from above. He had felt detached from his body as he listened to Mari, he had heard the words fall from her lips but they had seemed like echoes. As she was speaking, he kept thinking of Shayera and the chance he had now. He did feel bad about causing Mari pain and he admired her for doing what she had just done. He knew it had not been easy for her to come to that decision and yet, she did. She put his happiness before her own and given him a way out. She had loved him and her willingness to let him go proved that.

The door to the small room, Mari had led him to opened and Wally poked his head around. Behind Wally, John could make out the forms of Diana, Bruce, Clark and J'onn waiting for answers.

"Hey GL," Wally asked as he shot into the room as quick as a flash. Something about the look on his face told John thatWally'd been the one nominated by the rest to walk into the lion's den. "What is going on?" he asked with a false jollity.

"I need to get to the Watchtower," John told them with a smile as he walked by them; he winked at Diana before disappearing.

To be continued...


	6. Reunited

**Disclaimer:** The characters sadly do not belong to me but if they did, this would be what would happen and all unanswered questions - would be answered.

**A/N:** This takes place a few months after the final episode of the final season of JLU. I haven't seen it yet so I am merely going on what I have heard from others. Each chapter will be told from a different point of view.

**Summary**: Can John decide between following his heart or keeping his word? GL/HG/V

**The Wedding.**

Chapter Six – Reunited.

Shayera glanced up at the clock with a heavy heart; John and Mari would be husband and wife. They would have exchanged vows and white gold rings that had been passed down through Mari's family over the years. They would have signed the register and Mari would be writing in her slanted, bold writing "Mari Stewart." The entire League would be waiting outside for the happy couple to appear so they could throw glitter confetti over them. She hadn't had the faintest clue to what confetti was and what purpose it lent to the wedding. Everyone would watch as the bride and groom shared a kiss on the steps and then posed for pictures. The guests would talk amongst themselves and say what a wonderful couple John and Mari made.

Humans were so fickle when it came to present situations; they had once said that about her and John.

Shayera knew that Diana would do everything in her power to make sure she caught the bouquet that Mari would throw into the crowd and then the Amazon would look over at Bruce, silently hoping he would get the idea. After the photos, the wedding party would move from the church and make their way to the elite hotel; Mari had booked to hold the reception. Once at the hotel, Shayera knew the bride and groom would mingle with their guests before being shown into the room where the ten course-wedding feast would begin. Shayera hadn't even known a ten-course meal existed until she had heard Mari announcing it loudly as she always did when Shayera was around. After they had eaten, they would cut they cake before dancing and then they would jet off to Paris for a months honeymoon.

Life would return to normal for the other League members but when the Stewarts returned, Shayera knew her life would be turned upside down forever. She was too caught up in her own musings to notice the techs buzzing around her and she failed to notice that she was no longer the only League member on the Watchtower.

"If you were on a military base, you would be up on a court martial for not attending your post properly!" came the all too familiar voice.

When his voice had first broken into her musings, she thought her mind was playing cruel tricks on her. It was only when she turned to look at the door, she saw he was actually standing there, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed against his chest.

"Did you bring me a slice of cake?" she said simply before turning around and looking out into space, trying to regain her composure.

"No," she heard him answer, "it hasn't been cut yet!"

"Well if you came to ask me to come down for the reception," she bit back "you have wasted a trip. I'm on duty."

"I didn't come to do that either."

Shayera was taken back slightly. She felt as though salt had been rubbed into her already angry wounds. Was he here, to hurt her?

"So why are you here?"

"I came because I thought I saw trouble"

"Trouble," she snapped. "There is no trouble and even if there was, I wouldn't call you from your wedding."

He had walked closer to her. She could feel his presence behind her and it was starting to consume her. She closed her eyes and tried to block him from her mind. She couldn't deal with this now and she didn't understand why he was being so cruel. She had heard him say this same thing to her before her people had arrived on Earth and everything had changed. She felt herself becoming irritable. John had appeared out of nowhere and babbling on about some non-existent trouble, and he ought to be down on the planet now.

"Sure there is, and I'm looking right at it!" John told her as she felt him put a hand on her chair and pushed it slightly so she was now facing him.

What was he playing at? She thought angrily to herself. His actions were confusing her and making her frustrated and annoyed.

"You had better stop this," she warned as she reached for her mace "unless you want to be jetting off on your honeymoon with a limp."

"Will you do your war cry as you pounce?"

"You are really asking for it, Lantern," she snapped as she stood up and pushed him away. "Go now while you still can!"

"Shayera, will you listen to me for one moment!"

Shayera looked into his eyes and knew that there was something he was trying to tell her. Despite the bad jokes he had been cracking, he was there for a reason.

She folded her arms. "I'm listening."

"Mari and I didn't get married," he told her.

Her heart skipped a beat. Could it mean what she hoped it would? Did he call the wedding off because he knew he was marrying the wrong person? Did he come back to the Watchtower to give them another go?

"Mari called it off," he continued.

Shayera felt her heart drop; he hadn't been the one to call off the wedding so that meant he wanted to marry Mari.

"Oh," she managed to say, "I am sorry to hear that, John, I know how much you cared for her."

Part of her was elated that the wedding hadn't happened but another part of her felt bad for the pain John was surely feeling. Mari had been the last person Shayera had expected to call off the wedding because she seemed completely taken with him.

"What happened?" she asked

"Another person."

Shayera was annoyed. How could Mari do that to John, after everything he had been through? He didn't deserve that, he just didn't.

"Want me to take my mace to his head?"

"Not unless you want to hit me."

Shayera was completely confused now; John was talking in riddles and none of them made any sense to her. What was he saying?

"I don't understand," she finally admitted.

She shuddered slightly as she felt him take her hand. She followed him as he led her into the meeting room and watched as he shut the door behind them. He walked over and pulled a chair out for her and gestured for her to sit. Shayera sat down and looked up at him for answers.

"Mari knew my heart wasn't in it," he explained, "so she decided to call it off before it went any further and more people got hurt."

"If your heart wasn't in it," she said, "why were you planning to go through with it?"

"I made a promise, Shayera," he explained "I don't go back on them."

Shayera wondered if he was making a point and comparing himself to her. She still wasn't sure of what he was telling her. He was willing to marry Mari even though he wasn't really into it and if Mari hadn't made the decision she had, then they would have been married.

"You are telling me this why?" she asked, masking all emotion in her voice.

She thought she saw a flicker of pain in his eyes but she disregarded it. She didn't know why he was here telling her all this and she wasn't sure that she wanted to hear it. He hadn't been the one to call the wedding off so was he here on the rebound?

"Because you're the reason why Mari called it off."

"ME?"

"She knew I still loved you."

"Funny that," she growled, "if she hadn't called it off, you would have gone though with it."

Shayera stood up from her chair and walked away from John. She was having a hard time processing what she was being told. Half of her wanted to jump into his arms but the other half was unsure, and still convinced that he would have married Mari if the wedding had gone according to plan.

"I know what you are thinking," she heard him say.

"How can you," she retorted. "Even J'onn had trouble, remember?"

"I know you, Shayera," came his answer. "We shared things once. I know how you work. I wouldn't have gone through with it in the end; I was trying to find the words as she walked down the aisle. She knew that somehow and she made the decision for me."

"I am second best then," she said, her wings drooping slightly.

"No, first and always."

Shayera turned to look at John. He was standing right behind her and his eyes were gleaming with love and hope. It was directed to her and she knew that, it was time to stop questioning him and start believing in what he was saying. Deep down, she had always known that he wouldn't hurt her, he hadn't been ready before but now it seemed that he was.

"I love you Shayera Hol" he told her. "I never stopped."

"John," she whispered, not trusting her voice

"I know," he said as she felt him pull her into his arms.

She closed her eyes and took in his scent; she had missed his smell and the feel of his body against hers. She had missed the strong arms wrapped around her tenderly and had missed his breath warming her neck. She relaxed into his touch and her wings wrapped around them as well, shielding them from the world.

"I love you too," she finally said.

"Why don't we go and grab some Chinese and then head back to my apartment," he suggested. "You can even order eel heads."

" I would love to but I can't leave the Watchtower till someone takes over my shift," she said sadly. She wanted nothing more than doing what John had suggested but it would have to wait. "Everyone's at your wedding right now, remember?"

The door to the meeting room opened slightly and Wally popped his head around and grinned brightly at them. Shayera frowned slightly at the intrusion; she didn't want to break the spell in the room.

"I'm taking over the shift," Wally announced before dashing out of the room but not before saying, "Looking good, GL!"

Shayera heard John chuckle and she looked up at him with questioning eyes. She loved his throaty laugh but she didn't understand why he was laughing now.

"I think that solves the work problem," he told her "but there is one last thing I need to do."

She felt his hands fall away from her. Her body instantly missed his touch but that soon disappeared when she felt him cup her face with his hands. She looked into his eyes and smiled softly as she watched him inch closer to her before capturing her lips in their first kiss in years. His lips were soft against hers, the kiss was light at first, almost cautious but he soon applied more pressure and the kiss overwhelmed her. She kissed him back fiercely, letting years of pent up love and frustration flow through her lips. It felt so good to in his arms again. To have his lips against hers and to feel his tongue probing her mouth. She wanted to push him down into the conference table and have him right there, right now but she restrained herself and enjoyed the kiss. When the kiss ended, she brought her fingers to her swollen lips and touched them lightly before touching his.

"Let's go home, John, " she said with a smile.

fin


End file.
